Improvement in chess-boards



ytory tolthe commencement of a game.

nire STATES Arent trice..

F. C. SGHAEFEB, OF DUB UQUE, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHESS-BOARDS.

To all whom it mag] concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK C. SCHAR- FER, of the city of Dubuque, county of Dubuque, and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Folding Chess-Board, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of my specification, in which drawings- Figure l is y plan view, showing the chessboard unfolded and ready for use. Figs. 2 and 3 show the same partially folded; and Fig. 4t is a view showing the chess-board coinpletely folded.

rIhe object of luy-invention is to so construct a chess-board (or checker-board) in four rectangular parts of equal dimensions that the same may be folded together so as to be readily carried injthe pocket of a person transporting it, but which, when in the act of use and unfolded, may be removed from place to place without folding up or derangement of the pieces which may be upon the board, and without the use of clamps. To effect this I construct the chess-board of four main parts, as indicated at A, B, C, and D in the drawings. Each of these parts has sixteen checkersquares upon it, so that when said parts are in the contiguous position, as represented in Fig. l, acomplete chess or checker board will be presented ready for use.

The materials which I employ for constructing my chess-board, as well as the style and inode of ornamenting it, are the same 'as in the manufacture ofthe ordinary style of boards on sale at the shops.

In Fig. l I have shown my board with the several parts A, B, C, and D in proper position for placing the pieces upon it prepara- When the said parts are in this position the part A may be turnedup and folded over onto the part B, and the part D may be turned up and folded over-onto thepartC. This actis partially indicated in Fig. 3, with the additional indication ofthe act of also folding the parts B and G together, these several acts, when completed, causing the parts A, B, C, and D of the board to assume the closely-compacted condition indicated in Fig. 4, in which form the chess-board may be inserted in an ordinary pocket of a garment, and so be transported from place to place.

In the manufacture of the chess-board so that the parts A, B, C, and D shall be held together so as to be lnade to assume the condition represented in Fig. 1, or be folded together, as above described, I apply joints to the several parts, as will now be described.

In Figs. land 3 the line from c to findicates a joint by means of which the parts A and B are connected together. This joint, in this instance, is formed by the flexible fabric of which the face of the chess-board'is composed, and upon which the checker spots or squares are formed. In place, however, of such joint being formed of flexible fabric composing the face or front surface of the board, metal hinges may be applied, so as to allow of the folding of the part A upon the part B, as heretofore described. The linefrom f to h represents a joint or hinge, the same as that from c to f, thereby allowing the partD to be folded upon the part-G. The line fromftogin last-named figures also` indicates a join tlike those previously described,

but formed of the {ieXible fabric which is used to cover a portion of the back of the chessboard, thus allowing the part C to be folded upon the part B, as indicatedin Fig. 3 in part. Metallic hinges may be applied to these parts in lieu of a flexible fabric pasted to the back of the board, and so as to allow of the proper folding of these parts. Between the parts A D, on the linej'i', there is no joint, said parts being disconnected on said line so that they may spread apart in the condition indicated in Fig. 3 in the act of folding.

It is evident from the foregoing description that if the thumb of a person be placed upon the face ofthe board so as to cover a portion of the parts A D, while the fingers sustain said parts on their under side, all the parts ofthe board will maintain a like plane, or nearly so, in which condition the board may be removed from one place to another while a gaine is progressing, and this without disturbing the pieces upon the board, thus rendering the ordinary clamp, as at Fig. 5, unnecessary for locking the sections of a folding chess-board.

If my chess-board was made with a series of sections of a length equal to the width of manner and for'the `.purpose substantially as described.

Witness my hand in the matter of my application for a patent on 2t vportable. checker l and chess board this 13th September, A. D.

F. C. SOHAEFER. Witnesses:

M. H. BEACH, GEO. GRAY. 

